1. Molecular characterization of a short-chained pentraxin gene from kuruma shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus hemocytes.
- Author
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Alaman, Omar Adrianne P., Pedrosa-Gerasmio, Ivane R., Koiwai, Keichiro, Nozaki, Reiko, Kondo, Hidehiro, and Hirono, Ikuo
- Subjects
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PENAEUS japonicus , *WHITE spot syndrome virus , *BLOOD cells , *LIMULIDAE , *MICROBIAL polysaccharides , *WHITELEG shrimp , *CRAYFISH - Abstract
Pentraxins (PTXs) are a family of pattern recognition proteins (PRPs) that play a role in pathogen recognition during infection via pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Here, we characterized a short-chained pentraxin isolated from kuruma shrimp (Marsupenaeus japonicus) hemocytes (MjPTX). MjPTX contains the pentraxin signature HxCxS/TWxS (where x can be any amino acid), although the second conserved residue of this signature differed slightly (L instead of C). In the phylogenetic analysis, MjPTX clustered closely with predicted sequences from crustaceans (shrimp, lobster, and crayfish) displaying high sequence identities exceeding 52.67 %. In contrast, MjPTX showed minimal sequence identity when compared to functionally similar proteins in other animals, with sequence identities ranging from 20.42 % (mouse) to 28.14 % (horseshoe crab). MjPTX mRNA transcript levels increased significantly after artificial infection with Vibrio parahaemolyticus (48 h), White Spot Syndrome Virus (72 h) and Yellow Head Virus (24 and 48 h). Assays done in vitro revealed that recombinant MjPTX (rMjPTX) has an ability to agglutinate Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and to bind microbial polysaccharides and bacterial suspensions in the presence of Ca2+. Taken together, our results suggest that MjPTX functions as a classical pattern recognition protein in the presence of calcium ions, that is capable of binding to specific moieties present on the surface of microorganisms and facilitating their clearance. • MjPTX is expressed in kuruma shrimp hemocytes, both at the mRNA and protein levels. • Significant increases in MjPTX mRNA transcripts were observed after artificial challenge with AHPND (48 h), WSSV (72 h), and YHV (24 and 48 h). • Recombinant MjPTX (rMjPTX) agglutinates Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria at varying concentrations in a Ca2+-dependent manner. • Bacterial suspensions bound to rMjPTX in the presence of Ca2+ using an ELISA-based approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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